The Trouble With Happily Ever After
by classicdisneyFTW
Summary: Rapunzel and Eugene's wedding is on the way. Eugene's personal guard and Rapunzel's maid might prove to be troublesome during the preparations though. It's up to Eugene and Rapunzel to get them together while dealing with their own problems.
1. She's Sure to Say Yes

_Hello, all! The poll I made, had majority vote on a Eugene/Rapunzel story with a Levi/Amelia one in second. It was inevitable early on which ones would win so I started planning out this story last week. I decided to combine the first two winners into one story. So this is mostly a comedy romance about Rapunzel and Eugene getting ready for their wedding while at the same time, playing matchmaker with Levi and Amelia._ I wouldn't be expecting anything too special from this story, but it should still be enjoyable. _ _

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Jonathan paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, hands clasped behind his back, brow wrinkled with anxiety. Elinor watched from her armchair as her husband passed back and forth in front of her. "Keep this up and you'll wear a hole in the carpet," she suggested with light humor.

Jonathan glanced at her, but still continued pacing. "I don't see why you're so anxious," Elinor remarked, "She's sure to say yes."

"You have no idea what the pressure is like," Jonathan said, leaning against the fireplace mantle and staring at the flames, "It claws at your nerves and makes you do stupid things-"

"Hmm, yes. Your proposal was quite an adventure, wasn't it?" Elinor mused, remembering.

"Exactly my point! Eugene is even more jittery than I ever was."

"I can beg to differ," Elinor said with a slightly mischievous smile.

"They should have been back by now too," Jonathan continued on, not seeming to hear his wife's remark, "Eugene assured me that they would be back well before midnight." He glanced at a nearby clock. "It's only about ten minutes until midnight."

"Well, if Rapunzel had said no, you would think that their little outing would not last this long," Elinor suggested.

"Or Eugene just hasn't asked yet," the ever so pessimistic king continued, "I know what it's like. Every time you try to ask, something happens and the lady in question gets distracted or won't do what they're supposed to do in order to discover the ring."

"Did Eugene tell you exactly how he was going to propose?" Elinor wondered.

"No. And that's another thing! He told me he was going to take her out and just find the right time to ask and give her the ring. He didn't have it planned out! The right time may have never come!"

"Dear, you are worrying far too much," Elinor said calmly as Jonathan began to pace again, "Eugene's a smart boy, he would have come up with a way to ask her. As for Rapunzel, she has confided in me that she has been waiting for Eugene to propose for a long time and was getting upset that it hadn't happened yet. She's sure to say yes."

Jonathan seemed to calm a bit at her words, but not enough to hold him still. He sat on the armchair opposite his wife and began to nervously drum his fingers on the armrest. Elinor smirked. "Honestly, Jon," she said, "You're going to make me a nervous wreck as well. Everything will be fine, you'll see."

Just then, the door to the library was opened. The king and queen turned to see who had entered. It was their hopefully soon to be son-in-law, Eugene. He was alone. That was not a good sign. Jonathan stood up quickly and stared anxiously at the young man, waiting for him to say something. "Well?" he asked with some impatience mixed with some nervousness.

Eugene was not looking at them, instead his eyes were turned towards the ground. Elinor glanced at Jonathan who looked like he was ready to explode with impatience. Eugene finally looked up at them, not smiling. Still not a good sign. "Well, I took her out like I said I would," Eugene began slowly.

Elinor and Jonathan nodded, encouraging him to continue. "We had a nice time," Eugene continued in the same slow, solemn tone, "Rapunzel really liked being out over the water. Actually she got distracted with it just when I was ready to give her the ring..."

"You didn't ask her?" Jonathan asked, dreading the answer. It was written all over his face, the news was not good news.

"Oh no. I asked her..." Eugene turned his eyes down again, not bothering to inform them of the answer.

"She said no?" Jonathan and Elinor asked simultaneously, both shocked, although Elinor managed to sound a bit more collected than her husband did.

"Of course not! He's just being silly!"

Jonathan and Elinor looked towards the door to see their pretty, short haired daughter run into the room and throw her arms around Eugene's neck. Eugene was grinning madly now, his arm wrapped around her waist. Elinor glanced at Jonathan who looked like he was ready to topple over any moment. "Wait, so... so you said yes?" the king asked, sitting in the armchair again.

"Of course I did!" Rapunzel declared, beaming proudly, "I've been waiting _forever_ for him to ask!"

Eugene looked at her, surprised. "What? How long have you been waiting?" he asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"Forever!" Rapunzel said simply, "I have to say that after two years of waiting, I was beginning to think you were never going to ask."

Eugene frowned at this new information. "How was I supposed to know that you wanted it for so long?"

Rapunzel rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Eugene, you're just as oblivious as Mother said."

Elinor stifled a chuckle as Eugene glanced at her questioningly. She just shrugged and he looked back at Rapunzel. "You've been hinting at it?"

Rapunzel raised her eyebrows. "Maybe."

Silence fell over the room as Eugene stared at Rapunzel who was still beaming proudly. Elinor decided to break the silence. "So, let's see the ring, dear," she said to Rapunzel.

Rapunzel rushed forward and held out her hand to her mother, displaying the small band of jewelry around her finger. It was silver with one large purple stone in the center and a smaller diamond beside it. The silver band was embroidered with tiny leaves, and larger silver leaves surrounded the two jewels at the center. It was quite a lovely ring.

Elinor looked up at Eugene. "I must say, Eugene, you did a very good job of picking the right one for her by yourself," she remarked, lightly running a finger over the jewels.

Eugene, unsure of exactly how to respond to the compliment, merely nodded. Elinor looked back at her daughter's glowing face. "How would you two feel about postponing the wedding until two weeks from now, when spring begins?"

"Two weeks?" Eugene asked shocked by how short of a time that was, "How long does it normally take to plan a wedding?"

"We could marry you right now if you wanted," Jonathan said as though it were the most normal thing in the world, "It just wouldn't be a very public or formal affair."

Eugene had not expected it to be such a short amount of time. He opened his mouth, but found he really had nothing to say, even if he did he was unable to control his tongue.

"If we wait for a couple weeks, the flowers will be fully blossomed," Elinor said, "It would be a lovely wedding and reception."

"Yes!" Rapunzel cried merrily, "I love flowers! What do you think, Eugene? Two weeks? Is that alright?"

Eugene, still speechless, just gaped at his bride-to-be. Rapunzel looked back at her mother. "I'm pretty sure that means yes."

Elinor and Jonathan both smiled at their daughter's excitement and Eugene's surprise. "You had both better get to bed," Elinor said, "It's late and it seems we have a busy day tomorrow. We have a wedding to plan."

"Wed- wedding," Eugene mumbled. It seemed the realization of what proposing meant suddenly landed on his shoulders.

"Come on, Eugene," Rapunzel said, turning him around to face the door and pulling on his hand, "Mother's right. Let's go to bed."

Eugene didn't move. Rapunzel stopped pulling, walked around behind him and, pressing her hands against his back, began to push. "Come... on!" she grunted as he slowly began to move forward, "Don't be such a- oof!" Eugene had suddenly stopped again, making her hands slip so that she fell forward, her face smashing into his back.

She stood back up straight, rubbing her nose before 'humphing' and moving to his front. He was blankly staring at the doorframe. She placed her hands on her hips and frowned at him. "Eugene," she said firmly. Eugene managed to look at her even though he was still in shock.

Rapunzel held up her hand, "This is Mr. Tickle." She held up her index finger, "And this is Mr. Poke." She raised and eyebrow, "You've met them before. Which one do you think will get you to move faster?"

Eugene didn't answer. Rapunzel's mouth began to turn up, mischievously. "I think Mr. Tickle is the perfect choice for this."

Eugene's eyes suddenly flew down to Rapunzel's hand drawing closer to his neck. He was not ticklish anywhere except for one spot just below his chin. She had come across it accidentally when she was trying to fix his collar one day. Ever since then, he was at her mercy to 'Mr. Tickle' as she called it.

He grabbed her hand just before it came into contact with his neck and held to it tightly. "Oh no you don't!" he warned.

She giggled. "I knew that would work. I was afraid I would have no one to see me to my room."

Eugene raised an eyebrow. "You want me to take you to your room?"

Rapunzel smiled up at him, "Yes I would."

"As you wish, _princess_." With that, he bent over ad picked her up so that she hung half way over his shoulder, and began to walk towards the door.

"Eugene!" she cried, pounding on his back, "Put me down!"

"You said you wanted me to take you to your room, so I am."

"Eugene!" Her protests faded away as the couple disappeared out the door.

Jonathan and Elinor watched the entire spectacle with utter amusement. Elinor turned her eyes away from the door and back at her husband. "Well? What did I tell you?" she asked in high spirits, "She was sure to say yes."

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_So there you have it :)_


	2. Midnight Discussions

_Yipee! I'm glad you guys are already interested in this. Thank you sooooo much for the reviews! :D_

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"So how did he do it?" Amelia asked Rapunzel as she helped untie the many ribbons on the back of the princess's dress.

Rapunzel was beaming madly at nothing in particular as her maid fiddled with her dress. Rapunzel was always one to be happy and excited at all times, but at the moment, her usual giddiness seemed to have been multiplied by ten.

"It was wonderful!" Rapunzel declared happily, "He took me on a ship... I guess he had rented it for the evening or something, and we had dinner on the deck. He was acting really funny, but I brushed it off because he had insisted that he was not planning on proposing that night already."

Amelia smiled to herself. Wouldn't that have been a sign that he _was_ going to propose rather than not? Rapunzel continued, "Anyways, he was acting strange, but he didn't really have an explanation. He kept trying to get me to pretend I was drinking wine, for goodness' sake. He said he liked the face I make when I drink it. Random much?"

Amelia giggled and nodded while struggling with a particularly tight knot. She didn't remember tying the ribbons that tight that morning.

"So I eventually decided that he might relax if he looked at the water," Rapunzel went on, "He didn't seem to want to leave the table, but I finally convinced him. So as we were standing by the rail, looking out over the water, he took off the promise ring he gave me a couple years ago and began to play with it. I didn't think it was unusual because he always liked to take it off and play with it. I had forgotten that he had taken it off by the end of the ride. He put it back on my finger, but I quickly realized it was not the promise ring."

The last ribbon was untied and Rapunzel slipped behind her changing screen, but she had paused her narrative. Amelia was genuinely curious and excited. "So what did he do?" she asked, "Get down on one knee asking the most poetic way possible 'will you marry me?'"

There was silence for a moment. Amelia wondered if she had said something wrong. However, Rapunzel came out from behind the screen, adjusting the small sleeves to her pink nightgown. She no longer looked giddy and eternally happy, instead her brow was furrowed and her mouth turned down into a rather confused looking frown.

"No..." she said thoughtfully, "He never actually asked."

"What do you mean?" Amelia wondered. He had to have asked, otherwise they would not be engaged at present.

"Well, he gave me the ring and when I looked up at him he looked sort of sheepish. As I was processing what he had just done. He asked 'so what do you think?'."

Amelia couldn't help, but to give an amused smirk at the phrase. She covered her mouth to prevent any other noises from escaping, but Rapunzel's eyes lit up as the awkwardness of the situation dawned on her. She began to laugh. "What a lame way to ask!' she said through her giggles, "He never actually said the words!"

Amelia laughed along with her. "It's not so bad..." she paused, "Nevermind, yes it is. You should have made him ask."

"I would have if I had noticed," Rapunzel said with a wide smile, still amused by it, "Hopefully when you're asked, he'll actually say the words."

"Yeah," Amelia mused with a smile.

"Speaking of which, has there been anyone special paying you attention lately?" Rapunzel asked as Amelia began putting away Rapunzel's clothing and jewelry.

Amelia smirked as she hung up the dress. "When do I get to meet any decent men?"

"None of them catch you fancy?" Rapunzel wondered.

Amelia shook her head.

"Not even Levi?"

"Eugene's personal guard?"

"Yes. Didn't you used to like him?"

The question had been innocent enough, but it made Amelia blush furiously. She turned back to the closet and pretended to be organizing the dresses so that Rapunzel would not see her bright red cheeks. "No," she replied hastily.

She heard Rapunzel moving closer to her. "Are you sure?" Rapunzel asked, "Because you used to talk about him an awful lot."

Amelia felt her cheeks growing even warmer. "I was young," she said, still not turning around, "I wasn't even sixteen. He was handsome, that was all that matters to girls that age."

"So, you think he's handsome?" Rapunzel asked, starting to sound a little less innocent and more teasing.

"Yes- no! Well, I did. That is, he still is. I mean-"

She heard Rapunzel giggle from behind. "Alright, alright, it doesn't matter. So why don't you like him anymore?"

Amelia was running out of things to pretend to be organizing in the closet. "I've spoken with him more and I've come to realize what he really is."

"What's that?"

Amelia finally decided to turn around and face the princess. "A pompous, overly dutiful man with no sense of humor."

Rapunzel seemed to be forcing back a laugh. "What do you mean 'overly dutiful'?"

Amelia took to preparing the bed for sleep, removing the several dozen pillows and untucking the sheets. "He is way too focused on his duties. He never even attempts to get a break. Every time I've talked to him in the past, he talks of nothing else. He's been so stiff and just... not fun."

Rapunzel began helping Amelia with stacking the pillows. "Not fun?" she encouraged Amelia to continue.

"Have you ever seen him laugh? Genuinely?" Amelia added before Rapunzel had a chance to answer.

"Not necessarily," Rapunzel replied, "But maybe the better person to ask about that would be Eugene. Those two are hardly out of each other's sight."

"Exactly my point about being overly dutiful! He's Eugene's personal guard and he _never_ leaves his side."

Rapunzel chuckled and climbed into the bed. "I think maybe you've just caught him at bad times. I'm sure he's not as bad as you think. Maybe you should talk to him again?"

"I don't think so. I've given him plenty of chances to even try to be funny, or witty, or... not boring!"

Rapunzel nodded as she settled down under the sheets. "Alright," she gave in, "Blow out the candle on your way out please?"

Amelia nodded and head towards the door. She leaned over and gently blew out the candle. Just before she turned to leave the room, she realized something. "Your highness," Amelia said through the darkness in Rapunzel's direction.

"Yes?"

"Could you... please not, um, try to get me and Levi together?"

Rapunzel didn't respond right away. Eventually she sighed. "OK. I won't."

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Levi followed the now soon-to-be prince consort towards the castle from the stables. It was sometime past midnight. "Remind me again why you needed to go to into town at this hour?" Levi asked, stifling a yawn.

"I couldn't leave the man that owned the boat Rapunzel and I were on unpaid," Eugene looked over his shoulder at his personal guard, then smirked, "I told you that you didn't have to come, sleepy head."

"I'm not sleepy!"

"Yes, you are! Your eyes are half open and you're all stooped over."

Levi instinctively straightened up and glared at Eugene. Eugene just smirked again and they entered the courtyard. As they were walking past the servants' quarters, Levi spotted a woman's figure approaching through the darkness. As she got closer, Levi realized that it was a young woman and as she got even closer, Levi was able to recognize the face. Amelia Devencroft. He suddenly ran into Eugene who seemed to have been walking slower all of a sudden.

Eugene grunted, catching his balance. "What was that about?"

"What?" Levi asked, looking anywhere, but at Amelia.

"Running into me."

"You were the one that randomly started walking slower."

"I wasn't walking slower. I think you were just walking faster," Eugene pointed out, annoyed, "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," Levi said, hoping to distract Eugene long enough for Amelia to disappear. But it was too late. Eugene turned just in time to see Amelia walk past them, apparently oblivious to their presence, and disappear into the servants' quarters. A sly smile crept over Eugene's mouth that made Levi feel instantly uncomfortable.

"I see," Eugene nodded, pursing his lips in amusement as they began to walk on, "I understand completely."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Levi protested the obvious teasing.

"Now, now," Eugene smirked, clapping a hand on his shoulder, "Take it from a man who has... experience with women."

Levi rolled his eyes, but Eugene didn't seem to notice as he continued. "Now Amelia is a beautiful girl. And she is the princess's own maid which equips her with talents. Talents that include cleaning, patience, punctuality, possibly cooking, and Rapunzel tells me that she has a wonderful singing voice."

Levi looked down, tuning out the rest of Eugene's list of Amelia's other qualities. He had heard her humming once when he passed by the princess's room while she was tiding it up. It was entrancing while it lasted, then she realized he was there and stopped.

"...therefore, she is out of your league."

Levi's eyes shot up at Eugene's words and he scowled. Was this lecture supposed to be helping something? Eugene prattled on. "Now, I myself have never met a girl who was out of my league. I mean, look at me." He flashed an annoyingly cocky, pearly white grin in Levi's direction.

"What about Rapunzel?" Levi hit back.

Levi felt extreme satisfaction when he saw Eugene's confidence slip off his face at the mention of Rapunzel. "That's beside the point," Eugene grumbled when he couldn't come up with a comeback, "The point is that you need to show Amelia that you might actually worthy of her."

"What are you talking about?" Levi asked dryly.

"She hasn't spoken to you forever so she's clearly not impressed with you. I mean who would be?" Levi scowled at the jibe. "...therefore, you need to impress her. Luckily you have an expert on wooing women."

"Really? Who might that be?" Levi asked.

Eugene held out his arms and pointed to himself. "Me."

Levi smirked. "Oh please!" he scoffed, "I've heard Rapunzel talking about how you first met her." Levi grinned deviously. "Didn't work out too well for you, did it?"

Again, he felt immense satisfaction as Eugene, once again, failed to come up with a retort. "That was different!" Eugene sputtered, "I was having an off day and Rapunzel's not like other girls! I tell you that my smolder has worked miracles on all other women I've come across."

Levi crossed his arms and smirked. "Right," he drawled, "Well, there is no way I am going to use any of your advice of Amelia, especially not your ridiculous smolder."

"It's not ridiculous!" Eugene said defensively, as though he were defending the entire kingdom from an attack.

"Is so! I've seen it." Levi scrunched up his face in a futile attempt to recreate the face he had seen Eugene dawn on a few occasions when he thought no one, but Rapunzel was watching.

"It doesn't look like that," Eugene scoffed, "Mine's far more dashing... but, yeah you're right, you shouldn't try to smolder her. Your smolder would scare the living daylights out of her. Actually, it would probably even scare the dead out of their graves."

Levi glared at him again. Eugene just smirked as they approached the door to his bedroom. "Don't you worry," Eugene said, his hand resting on the handle, "We'll find a way to get you two together yet. There's got to be _something_ she'll like about you."

Levi couldn't come up with a remark to hit him back with. He just grumbled and Eugene closed the door in his face.

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_How was that? Good bad? Funny? Dull? I'd like to know, reviews are much appreciated :)_

_BTW, if you want to read the actual proposal, it's chapter 2 of my other fanfiction: Just An Ordinary Day._


	3. Wooing

_I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter :D Hopefully you like reading it as much as I liked writing it._

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The morning came far too quickly for Eugene. He grumbled and buried his head under his pillow as the sun streamed through a crack in the curtains and right into his eyes. He didn't want to have to get up, but he knew that the king and queen would want to discuss wedding preparations with him and Rapunzel. They had been doing that every day for the past three days. Besides, if he ever tried to sleep past 9:00, Rapunzel would invade and pounce on him. Wait... what time was it?

He pulled his head out from beneath his pillow just in time to see Rapunzel leap on top of him. He grunted in surprise at the sudden weight on his chest. How did he not notice her come in?

"Good morning, sleepy head!" she cried cheerily.

Eugene tried to push the girl off of him. "Come on, Rapunzel," he whined, "I had a late night. Just a little longer?"

Rapunzel giggled and pushed herself off of him and stood by his bed. "I don't think so," she replied, beaming, "Mother and Father are waiting for us downstairs. We've been waiting for you forever."

Eugene groaned. "Couldn't you handle all the wedding talk yourself today?" he asked, "I don't know what half the stuff you're talking about is anyways."

"Come on, Eugene. Don't be such a baby. How late were you up?"

"I don't know. Well past midnight, that's all I know."

"Why were you up so late?"

Eugene forced himself to sit up a bit. "I was talking to Levi."

"Why?"

She was just like a little kid sometimes, all these questions. But he really didn't mind, it just made her all the more adorable. "He's been having some, erm... girl problems."

Rapunzel's eyes lit up at the mention of a possible romance. "Ooh! He's trying to court someone?" she asked excitedly.

"Sort of..." Eugene said, "He thinks she doesn't like him so he won't talk to her."

Rapunzel nodded. "So you're trying to help him? Eugene!" She threw her arms around him suddenly, surprising him, "That's so sweet!"

Eugene held her for a moment until she let go of him. It sort of _was_ he supposed, but mostly he just wanted to get Levi distracted with something other than his job. He took it far to seriously. Eugene brightened at the thought of Levi not being at his side at all times. Eugene would be able to have a little privacy. He would probably even be able to bathe without the eccentric guard standing right outside the door! That would be the day.

Snapping out of his daydream, Eugene raised his eyebrows and stared at Rapunzel as he tilted his head slightly. "So, I have a question to ask," he said, "What does your maid do when she's not fussing over you?"

"I don't know. Probably goes for walks. She likes the garden-" Rapunzel cut herself off. "Wait a minute, Levi likes Amelia?"

Eugene nodded. "Well yeah, I thought it was pretty obvious."

The brightness in Rapunzel's eyes dimmed a bit. "Oh... I can't help."

"What?" Eugene asked incredulously, "Knowing you, I'd think you would be the first one to try to get them together."

"I know. I would usually, but Amelia made me promise not to interfere. She doesn't like Levi."

Eugene slapped his forehead. "Well that's definitely not going to help his confidence. I'll find a way to boost it up."

"You shouldn't!" Rapunzel said, "Don't get his hopes up. Amelia's stubborn and she made it very clear about how she feels about him."

"Maybe we could change her mind?"

"Eugene, I'm serious, don't get involved. Amelia doesn't want anything to do with Levi. She'd think I somehow got involved if she found out you were interfering."

"Well, you're not. It's just me."

"Please, Eugene. Don't do it. You and Levi together always means trouble. I don't want to see either him or Amelia upset. Don't get involved."

Eugene stared at his fiancee for a moment. "OK," he sighed. But he still decided that had to do something and explain it to Rapunzel later. Otherwise Levi would _never_ get off his back. Yep, brilliant plan! Eugene suddenly felt a little bit happier.

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Levi humphed to himself as he headed towards Eugene's room. Time for another boring day. Waiting for Eugene to get out of talking about his impending marriage could take a long time and Levi was already sick of it after the first day.

He reached Eugene's room and rapped on the door. It was almost immediately opened and Eugene poked his head out. "Ah just the man I wanted to see!" he declared, opening the door wider to admit Levi.

Levi walked in, confused by his strange attitude. "What did you want to see me about?" he asked suspiciously.

"I have come up with a plan to get you and Amelia together."

"Oh no," Levi groaned, "Your plans always end in disaster."

Eugene tapped his chin, sporting an amused little smile. "Funny. That's what Rapunzel always says." He shook his head. "Anyways, I've found out that Amelia likes to walk in the gardens while she is not attending to Rapunzel."

"So what do you expect me to do?"

"Your job is to woo." Eugene slurred the last word and waggled his eyebrows.

"To what?" Levi asked blankly.

"To woo," Eugene repeated, "You need to make a proclamation of love!"

"But-" Levi began to protest.

"So," Eugene interrupted, "We need to come up with a way for you to express your feelings."

Levi rolled his eyes slightly. "Right," he said dryly.

Eugene was staring at him expectantly. Levi raised an eyebrow quizzically. After a moment of silence, Eugene spoke up, "How do you express your feelings?"

"Oh, I see," Levi realized that the future prince consort wanted _him_ to come up with ideas. "Um, uh... feelings..."

"Feelings," Eugene nodded as Levi racked his brains for something.

"Girls..." Levi scrunched his face in thought.

"Girls," Eugene repeated, clearly not putting any effort into thinking of an idea.

"Flowers?" Levi decided.

"Excellent! Find some," Eugene exclaimed with a nod of approval, "Maybe you could also write a note."

"OK..." Levi said hesitantly. He wasn't sure if Amelia was the type of girl who liked sappy love letters and serenading.

"Something... moving," Eugene continued proudly, "Something from the heart. Something..." he paused, at a loss for words, "You'll think of something."

He patted Levi on the shoulder and practically skipped out the door. Levi stared after him for a moment. What the heck was his problem?

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Amelia took a deep breath of the fresh air and looked at the garden around her. The flowers were only just beginning to bloom. They would all be fully blossomed by next week, just in time for the royal wedding.

She smiled at the thought of Rapunzel getting married. She could just imagine how beautiful the princess would look in a wedding gown, out in the garden, hand in hand with her husband. It all seemed so romantic. Besides, she had never seen a royal wedding before. The last one that was held in Corona was when King Jonathan and Queen Elinor were married, and that had been several years before Amelia was born.

"Amelia? Is that you?"

Amelia turned and spotted a rugged young man about a good five or six years older than her. Amelia immediately recognized him as one of the stable boys, Seth. She gave him a smile as he approached. "Yes. Hello, Seth," she greeted him as he approached, "What can I do for you?"

Seth rubbed the stubbly red beard that covered his chin. "Well I noticed a pretty, young woman strolling by herself in the gardens and I thought 'that must be Amelia!'."

Amelia blushed at the compliment, but Seth didn't seem to notice. "So I thought I'd come say hello," he said, "And... I have a question."

"Which is?" Amelia asked pleasantly.

"Well... I don't suppose you're, um... busy tomorrow night?" Seth asked hastily, "You see, I know this place that... well, I like to go to. And I thought it might be nice if... you joined me?"

"Oh, I um..." Amelia had not been expecting such a bold move from him and was unprepared to give him an answer.

"No pressure or anything," Seth interrupted quickly, "I just thought I'd ask. You know... pretty girl... no man..." He trailed off awkwardly.

Amelia didn't know what to say. She didn't know Seth very well. He seemed nice enough, and he was decent looking. Definitely not as handsome as Levi, but- _Levi?_ Why did he always have to interrupt her thoughts? She thought she had decided that she was over him. He was too serious and boring. So why did she keep thinking about him? Yeah, there was no way she would reconsider the soldier. Still... she couldn't bring herself to accept Seth's offer with those thoughts still lingering.

"I'm flattered, Seth," she started, already Seth's face fell and she instantly felt horrible, but she continued, "But, I don't think I can right now."

Seth looked at the ground. "I understand. I just thought I'd ask."

Amelia forced herself to smile. "Thank you for though."

Seth smiled back, though it was slightly downtrodden. "Yeah, well... if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me."

Amelia nodded and watched him walk back towards the stables. She did feel bad for turning him down like that, but she just couldn't bring herself to accept. Especially when her thoughts still lingered on...

"Amelia?"

Amelia turned, expecting it to be Seth again. Instead, much to her chagrin, it was Levi. What was he doing in the gardens?

"Oh um, hello, Levi," she muttered. She really did not want to talk to him now, especially since she was feeling flustered for even thinking about him. "I, uh- have something to attend to in the palace. Excuse me."

She hurried past him, but heard Levi's voice call her back. "Wait! I um..."

Amelia looked back. "What?"

Levi shuffled forward, his hands behind his back. "I was- I was just walking through and I started picking flowers-"

"You were picking flowers?"

Levi avoided her eyes. "Um, yeah. I do that sometimes, but I uh... thought you might like the ones I picked today?" He held out a bunch of flowers. There weren't many since the garden had not really blossomed. And what was there were small and half bloomed.

"Oh... thank you," she said politely, taking them from him uncomfortably, "Well, I think I should go inside now."

She started walking again, but once again Levi's voice called her back. "Wait! One more thing," he said hesitantly.

Amelia turned back again. She was standing near a fountain and she took to casually leaning against it. "Yes?"

Levi walked closer to her, wringing his hands uncomfortable. What was he so nervous about? He stood next to her and took a deep breath. "OK," he breathed.

He pulled something out of his pocket. It looked like an envelope... a very well sealed envelope. It was practically covered in wax. Geez, he even took sealing envelopes too seriously. Amelia stared at the device, her curiosity fighting the urge to make herself scarce.

"What is that?" she asked.

"I... wrote it" Levi said fighting against the wax. He was struggling fiercely against it and was hardly making any progress.

Amelia watched him violently tug at the sealing, one eyebrow raised. "Maybe I should come back later?" she suggested.

"No," Levi grunted, "I almost got it! Just a little bit-"

His hand suddenly slipped and flew back. He began to lose his balance slightly. Without thinking, Amelia reached out and grabbed onto his arm. However, it only seemed to make it worse because he began flailing his arms, fighting for balance. Amelia tugged o him as hard as she could. The next thing she knew, they both fell face first into the fountain.

Amelia lifted her head out of the water, sputtering. She suddenly realized that she was on top of Levi who was also sputtering and coughing. He looked at her, his eyes round, almost pleading. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Then Amelia's face hardened and she pushed herself off of him. She stood up and stepped out of the fountain, wringing her hair as she headed back towards the castle without a word.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It had been a long morning full of nothing, but marriage talk. Now, Rapunzel relaxed in the library, stretching her feet in front her and wiggling her toes. She had kicked off her shoes a long time ago. She knew that it pleased her tutors and parents when she wore them, but she still tried to wear them as little as possible.

Just as she was beginning to close her eyes for a possible nap, the door opened. She looked up and saw it was Eugene. He smiled at her as he closed the door behind him. Rapunzel smiled back, "Hello."

"Hello. What are you doing?"

Rapunzel took a deep breath. "Relaxing," she replied.

"Hmm. Sounds nice. Mind if I join you?" Eugene asked hopefully.

Rapunzel nodded and patted the cushion beside her. Eugene sat on it. Rapunzel smiled again and laid her head on his shoulder, contentedly. She felt him heave a sigh. "Tired?" she asked him.

"You have no idea," he replied, "All these plans in just one morning."

"What do you expect? The wedding is in less than two weeks."

"Why is that?' Eugene asked, "Two weeks? I still think that's a bit short don't you?"

"Of course not."

"Are you sure? Because, not that I'm an expert, but don't just normal weddings tend to take months? This is a _royal_ wedding."

Rapunzel raised her head off his shoulder and looked at him. "I don't think our wedding could get here soon enough," she told him, "Just think... husband and wife." She grinned at the thought.

Eugene grinned as well. Without much of a warning, Rapunzel straightened up slightly and softly kissed him. He kissed her back without hesitation and after a few seconds, decided to deepen it.

It was nice while it lasted because then the door suddenly opened. Rapunzel pushed herself off of Eugene and looked towards the door. She hardly expected to see what was standing in the doorway. It was Levi, dripping with water. He was completely soaked from head to foot. Rapunzel stared at Eugene's personal guard in astonishment.

Levi had his fists clenched at his side. "It didn't work," he grumbled through his teeth.

He seemed to be speaking to Eugene. Rapunzel looked at her fiancee. What had he done? Eugene seemed to notice her staring at him. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I think we should talk about this another time," he said through clenched teeth as well, although he seemed more nervous than angry.

"No," Levi said firmly, stepping into the room. "Your idea most definitely did not help. It landed both of us in the fountain!"

Rapunzel frowned. "Both of us?" she repeated.

"Me and Amelia!" Levi said in frustration.

Rapunzel's eyes flew back to Eugene who was frozen. "Eugene?"

He slowly turned to look at her. "Yes?"

"What did you do?"

"I'll tell you what he did," Levi said, "He gave me advice on how to 'woo' Amelia and it just made everything worse! I wrote that note! With each word I wrote, I got more and more nervous so by the time it came time to seal it, my hand was shaking so much that I spilled it all over the envelope. So when I tried to open it for her, it knocked us off balance and the next thing I knew, we were splashing in the fountain!"

With that, Levi stomped out of the room. Rapunzel glared at Eugene. He fidgeted under her scowl. "I can explain-" he said after a tense moment.

"Eugene, I told you not to get involved!" Rapunzel said.

"I know, but-"

"I told you nothing good ever comes out of yours and Levi's plotting."

"But this-"

"Now you've probably ruined their relationship for good!"

Eugene crossed his arms. "Well in my defense, it wasn't all my fault. I didn't tell him to fall in the fountain."

"I don't care! You said you wouldn't get involved and... I believed you!"

"Rapunzel..." Eugene in a half whine, half beg.

Rapunzel stood up. "I'll forgive you this once," she said almost coldly, "But do it again..."

She didn't finish her sentence as she walked out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Don't think badly of Rapunzel for what she said to Eugene. It's all part of the plot ;P_


	4. Masquerade Ball

_Sorry, this is kind of a short one, but I wanted to put something up before I got super busy this week._

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Rapunzel paced back and forth in front of Eugene's room. It was almost time for Eugene's first lesson of the day. She paused and leaned against the door, but soon began pacing again.

She had to do this. It was for their own good. Eugene would not make anything better, she would have to be the one to step up and fix everything.

"Princess?"

Rapunzel looked up and saw Levi walking towards her. He stopped in front of her, looking slightly confused. "Good morning, Levi," Rapunzel greeted him cheerfully.

"Good morning," he bowed slightly, "Um, were you going in to see Eugene?"

"Nope."

Levi raised an eyebrow, questioningly. Rapunzel smiled. "I was waiting for you."

"Me? Why?" Levi asked, more confused than ever.

"Because, I feel it is my fault that you and Amelia are at odds right now."

"Wha- no! Princess, how is it _your_ fault?" Levi stumbled over his words. He had clearly not been expecting this at all.

"A couple of different reasons, actually," Rapunzel responded, "First, I didn't keep a close enough eye on Eugene. I knew he would try to do something, even though I told him not to. Second, since I knew that Eugene was going to try something, I should have known it was going to fail, so I should have taken my own action that _wouldn't_ fail."

Levi blinked a couple times, processing what she just said. "OK..."

"So," Rapunzel continued, "I have a plan that will get Amelia to fall for you."

"I don't know," Levi said, rubbing his neck, "After what happened in the garden, she'll never want to see my face again."

Rapunzel grinned. "That's why she won't."

Levi peered at her curiously. "What do you mean?"

Rapunzel continued smiling. "As you know, tomorrow is the ball celebrating mine and Eugene's engagement, right?"

Levi nodded.

"I've invited Amelia as a guest and I promised her an escort."

"What has this got to do with me?"

"You will be the escort."

"But I thought you said that she wouldn't see my face."

"She won't." Rapunzel pulled a mask from behind her back and displayed it for Levi. "It's a masquerade ball."

"Masquerade ball?" Levi bit his lip. "But, I'm not a noble-"

"Don't worry about that! I'm inviting you, personally."

"I haven't got a costume-" Levi said, desperately trying to come up with an excuse to get out of it.

"We have plenty extra ones that you can wear."

Levi covered his face with his hand. "She'll know me right away, no matter what my costume is."

"No," Rapunzel insisted, "She thinks of you as a stiff and boring man who only thinks and talks about his job."

"She said that?" Levi asked, down-trodden.

Rapunzel shrugged. "Don't worry. I know you're not like just need to show her that you have a sense of humor. That's one of her biggest concerns right now, but she won't give you another chance. So that's why you're going to meet her at the ball wearing a mask."

Levi sighed. "You sure this won't end in a disaster?"

"Positive."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Levi stared at his reflection on an empty serving tray. "I look completely idiotic!" he complained to Rapunzel.

"You look fine," Rapunzel insisted, "Roosters are beautiful birds."

"Whether they are or not, it doesn't look good on me," Levi grumbled, looking around at the other guests, "I probably have the most ridiculous outfit in here."

"Rapunzel! Who picked out this costume?" Eugene's voice came from behind.

Levi turned around and just about exploded into laughter. "I take it back," he said to Rapunzel, "_That_ just might top the rooster."

Eugene stood clad in what looked like a cow costume. It had to have been. The hat was in a shape of a muzzle and the clothes were covered in large spots. Levi curled in his lips, trying to contain his laughter. He didn't think Rapunzel would be too pleased if he were to start laughing at her fiancee.

"What's wrong with it?" Rapunzel asked Eugene, "You look cute."

"I don't want to look cute!" Eugene practically whined, "What will this do to my reputation? Do you really want to be seen with a goofy cow as your escort?"

"I wouldn't have anything else." Rapunzel smiled sweetly.

Eugene looked her up and down. "What are you supposed to be?"

Rapunzel sported a green dress that changed colors with the light, along with a dainty green mask adorned with multicolored beads. Rapunzel twirled a bit, happily. "It was Pascal's idea," she said proudly, "I wanted to find a horse outfit for you, but the cow was as close as I could find."

Eugene pouted, but amusement flashed in his eyes. "You wanted us to go as Pascal and Max?"

"Why not? They're adorable!"

Levi just watched the couple, lost in thought. Amelia would arrive any moment. Rapunzel wouldn't tell him what she was dressed up as. She insisted that it was a surprise. Levi had never been more nervous in his life, not even when he had tried to give his letter to her in the garden a few days earlier.

"Rapunzel? Is that you?"

Speak of the devil. Levi immediately recognized Amelia's voice and turned around. His jaw dropped at the sight of her. Judging by the feathers and the green, purple, and blue dress, Levi guessed she was a peacock. She looked absolutely stunning. Her chestnut hair fell in ringlets over her shoulders and her green eyes glittered from beneath the feathered mask.

"Yes. Hello, Amelia," Rapunzel greeted her maid. She turned to Eugene. "Uh, Eugene. Would you mind getting me some punch?"

Eugene cocked his head curiously, but nodded and headed towards the refreshments' table. As soon as he was out of earshot, Rapunzel turned back to Amelia and Levi. "Amelia, I'd like you to meet, um... Lord Grenville," she said, gesturing to Levi, "Lord Grenville, this is Amelia."

She apparently had made up that name on the spot because Levi had no idea that that was going to be his name for the night. Amelia curtsied to him. She clearly did not recognize him beneath the large beak of his rooster costume. "It's a pleasure, sir," she said politely.

"Oh, the- the pleasure is mine," Levi said, recovering. He took her hand and quickly kissed it.

Rapunzel smiled. "Amelia, Lord Grenville is in need of some company since I'll be busy most of the night. Would you mind?"

Amelia shook her head, smiling. "No, not at all. Unless he objects."

"No- no!" Levi said, probably too loudly, "I'd be honored."

Rapunzel beamed. "Alright, it's settled. You two have a nice evening."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Virtual cookies to whoever caught the book/movie reference. It's one of my old obsessions :P (I'll reveal it next chapter)._


	5. The Food at the Masquerade Ball

_Ugh! Finally got this chapter finished! Sorry, I'm suffering from serious case of Senioritus, which not only affects your school performance, but EVERYTHING else. I never want to do anything anymore, not even write. (Plus, mix in a little writer's block and you get a hopeless case) DX_

_So nobody knew what the story reference was last chapter. I didn't think anyone would, but I just thought I'd ask. The reference was the name "Lord Grenville". It's from the book/movies The Scarlet Pimpernel. It's the name of a guy that holds the ball where several key elements to the plot occur. It always talks about the Lord Grenville's ball. If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it. It's amazing! (Even though it starts out sort of boring) :D_

_Anyways, I digress. On with the story!_

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Amelia watched Rapunzel disappear into the crowd before turning back to the lord. Lord Grenville was his name. He was tall and dressed up as what looked like a rooster. Or maybe it was a turkey. _No, it's definitely a rooster, _Amelia decided after studying it for a moment.

He caught her staring at him and he shuffled his feet a bit. Amelia decided to be the one to break the ice, since he clearly was not the one for the job. "So, how do you know the princess?" she asked as warmly as possible.

He cleared his throat. "Erm, I uh, met her some time ago... in a meeting."

His voice seemed a little familiar, but Amelia couldn't quite place it. "Oh, so you are into politics?" she inquired.

"No," Lord Grenville replied, "The national guard is my area of expertise."

"Really? What do you do?"

Lord Grenville was silent for a moment. "I'm uh... the chief advisor. It's nothing very important. Just uh... small affairs such as which guards to post where and uh..." he trailed off. "How do you know the princess?" he asked, abruptly changing the subject.

Amelia could feel herself blush a bit from beneath her mask. "I'm her maid," she replied, partially ashamed, "But she insisted that I be a guest tonight."

"Interesting." He said nothing more.

They stood in silence for a moment. Amelia glanced around the room. She had to spend the evening with this man? He seemed so... uncomfortable. What was wrong with him? Always fiddling with his hands or shuffling his feet. Yet, even though Amelia would normally be bothered by such behavior, with him, she found it almost appealing.

Some music began playing and several people began dancing. Lord Grenville cleared his throat. "Would you like to dance?" he asked, "I mean- I suppose we should, since we'll be spending the night and everyone else is and maybe-"

Amelia gave a small smile of amusement. He was rambler. Those could be cute sometimes. She extended a hand towards him. "I'd be delighted," she replied sweetly, cutting him off.

Lord Grenville looked at her hand for a moment, then took it and led her to the dance floor. He seemed a bit unsure about how to properly hold her while dancing so Amelia carefully helped him position himself properly. "You don't do this much, do you?" she asked. It was not asked in a sneering way, she was just amused.

He shook his head. "Not really," he said, "I'm usually too busy to do anything like this." He paused. "I'm surprised you know how to do this... being a maid and all."

"Yes, well," Amelia shrugged, "I'm actually good friends with the princess's dancing tutor and he's taught me some steps. It's not so hard. You'll get it."

Lord Grenville nodded. After a moment, he took the liberty of twirling her. Amelia smiled at him once back in her place. "See? You're getting the hang of it already."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rapunzel was was hardly paying attention to exactly what she was doing at the moment. She was too busy watching the peacock and the rooster dance on the other side of the room.

"What are you so distracted with tonight?" Eugene asked after she had stepped on his foot for the fifth time since the dance had started.

"What? I'm not distracted," Rapunzel said, pulling her eyes away from the couple.

"So you're just stepping on me on purpose?" Eugene asked, "Because I know that your dancing tutor would not tolerate the princess to be such a sloppy dancer."

Rapunzel smirked and looked up at him. "Maybe your feet are just in the way of my dancing steps."

"And what steps are those? The Stomp-On-Everything-In-Your-Path steps?"

But Rapunzel was already looking back at Levi and Amelia and did not hear Eugene's quip. The corners of her mouth turned up as she watched the couple smiling at each other. Amelia giggled at something Levi said, which only made Rapunzel's smile broaden.

"What _are_ you looking at?" Eugene asked as Rapunzel's foot fell down on his own once again.

Rapunzel looked away again. "All the costumes," she lied, "They're all so interesting. It's a good thing I was able to talk my parents into making this a masquerade ball."

"Easy for you to say. You're not dressed as a cow." Rapunzel smirked and gave a him a quick kiss. Eugene grinned stupidly.

"But that's OK, right? Because only cows get a kiss," Rapunzel said.

"Right," Eugene said, still grinning.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As the evening continued on, Lord Grenville became a little less uncomfortable. Amelia liked that. He was actually a very entertaining person to be around. He was gracious, noble, intelligent, and he had a nice laugh that Amelia could not resist giggling along with.

She liked him. A lot actually. Should she say something? What if he wasn't interested in her that way? Or worse, what if he was engaged... or _married_?

They were outside, alone at the moment. She looked away from the view of the garden and up at him as he stood by her side. "So," she said as casually as possible, "Do you... live in Corona?"

"Yes," he replied, "Not too far from here, actually."

"Really?" Amelia nodded, exaggerating her interest a bit, "And uh, do you live with family?"

"Huh? Oh, no I don't. I live alone," he said.

"Really?" Amelia said again, this time deeply interested, "No wife?"

He sniffed, it sounded like he was disguising a chuckle. "Nope. No wife."

"You don't have a fiancee or anything though, right?"

The question had come before she could stop it. She looked away from him, embarrassed and hoping he wouldn't catch on to her. If he did notice what she was doing, he didn't acknowledge it.

"Actually," he said slowly, "I don't. I haven't had any girl in my life for... a long time."

Amelia's heart leapt, but she contained herself. She could tell something was troubling him about what he had just said. "I understand," she said, "I haven't either... It would be nice though if I could just meet the right person. But I always meet the boring ones or the drunk ones or the rude ones."

Lord Grenville nodded, staring at the ground. He took a deep breath. "The last time I had a girl in my life... it didn't end well."

Amelia turned her gaze to sympathy. He was clearly sore about whatever event he was referring to. "I'm sorry," she said, "What happened?" _Did I really just ask that?_ "I mean, you don't have to say! I didn't mean to pry. I was just-"

Lord Grenville gave a little shrug. "No, it's fine," he said softly, "Her name was Claire. I was barely 17 years old, she was 16. Well, to make a long story short, I was going to ask her to marry me, but the night before I intended to do that, she suddenly disappeared. She was found almost a year later, dead. She had been kidnapped by a gang of thieves and forced to marry one of them. Then the thieves' hideout was discovered... no one there was left alive."

Amelia clasped a hand to her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

Lord Grenville nodded slightly and bit his lip. "I didn't have much to live for in my hometown after that. So I came here to Corona and established myself where I am now."

"As chief advisor of the National Guard?"

Lord Grenville glanced at her, then quickly looked away. "Uh... yeah," he muttered.

They stood in silence for a moment. Amelia hated accidentally coming across touchy subjects, she preferred a happy, not so solemn atmosphere. Amelia took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. "I'm going to get something to drink. Do you want something?" she asked, mainly as an excuse to change the mood.

"Sure," he said, looking at her again, "In fact, I'll come with you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Levi followed Amelia back into the ballroom and towards the refreshment table. He could not believe that he had just told her about Claire. He had barely thought about her in years, much less told anyone the entire story. It was always too painful to think about her, but with Amelia... he felt calm and at peace. It wasn't as hard to think about her as usual. He was glad he had finally told someone about it.

Amelia stopped at the table and poured herself and Levi a cup of punch. She held one out to him, then froze. "I'm sorry, I didn't ask if you preferred the wine or punch," she said.

"Punch is fine," Levi replied, "No... hangover tomorrow, you know."

Amelia smiled and handed him the cup. Levi smiled back and took a sip. Nothing could ruin this evening. Nothing at all. She was beautiful, she was accepting him, he was enjoying himself, he had danced without trampling over anyone's feet. Nope, nothing in the world could ruin this evening.

"Levi?"

Except for that. Levi turned and faced Eugene. Had Rapunzel not told him that Amelia didn't know who he really was? Levi swallowed. "Who's Levi?" he asked, hoping Eugene would catch on.

"You are!"

So much for that hope. "I'm sorry, you must be mistaking me for someone else," Levi said.

Eugene removed his spotted hat and mask then peered closely at Levi. "What are you trying to pull?" he asked, "No one else is dressed up like a rooster here."

"Pardon me, sir," Amelia addressed Eugene, stepping forward and bowing her head respectfully, "But what did you call him?"

Eugene looked at her, confused. "Levi," Eugene responded, "Didn't you-"

Rapunzel suddenly appeared out of nowhere, tugging on Eugene's sleeve. "Uh, Eugene," she said hastily, "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

But Rapunzel's attempted rescue came too late. Amelia had placed a hand on Levi's mask and pulled it off. All four of them froze. Rapunzel and Levi stunned that their secret was out, and Eugene and Amelia just stunned.

"Levi?" Amelia said monotonously.

"Eugene, I need to see you _now_!" Rapunzel insisted pulling her fiancee away.

Levi looked hesitantly at Amelia. The corners of her mouth were turned down and she was breathing deeply. "You... you lied to me."

Levi swallowed. "Alright, I did," he admitted, "But, I can explain-"

Amelia raised an eyebrow, still fuming. Levi turned away from her. "I was- I was..." he stuttered, "I've been trying to see you since the other day. I wasn't sure how I left you feeling after... well you know."

"I'll tell you exactly how I feel _now_."

There was something in her tone that told Levi he had to turn around that instant. It was a good thing he did because he saw a slice of pie hurtling towards him. He ducked just in time and it flew over his head. Then he heard a splat. Levi turned and saw the future prince consort standing nearby, purple juice and thick cream oozing down his face.

He slowly wiped it away and looked towards the source. Amelia was staring at him, eyes wide, then she pointed at Levi accusingly. Levi shook his head innocently as Eugene walked towards them. Eugene removed a cupcake from a tray and smashed it into Levi's face.

Levi cooly wiped the crumbs and frosting off his nose then casually picked up another slice of pie and faced Eugene and Amelia again. Amelia was now staring at him with wide eyes. "He did it," she said, pointing to Eugene.

Levi nodded. "Thank you." Then he smashed it into Amelia's face. "But _you_ started it!"

Amelia glared at him, then went and picked up a pastry.

Nearby, Rapunzel was chatting with a Lord. "I must confess, princess," he was saying, "Regular parties bore me, but I know I'll get a big bang out of this one."

Suddenly a pastry smashed into the side of his face. Rapunzel gasped. "Oh, Sir Franklin!"

He wiped the pastry off his face and waved his hand, trying to remove the excess. However, it flew off and hit Rapunzel right in the face. She squeaked and wiped it out of her eyes.

Levi laughed at Amelia. "You missed me!" he declared.

"Oh yeah?" Amelia glowered. She raised her other hand and pushed a full pie into his face. He immediately stopped laughing and spit some cream out of his mouth.

Levi and Amelia glared at each other for a moment then both scrambled towards the table. Sir Franklin rushed over to them. "Who threw that!" he demanded.

"She did!" Levi said, pointing to Amelia.

"Stop it!" Rapunzel cried, running up behind Levi and Amelia as Sir Franklin picked up a slice of pie, "Do you hear me? Stop-" Her cry was cut off as Sir Franklin's pie hit her square in the face after Amelia had ducked.

Rapunzel frowned and picked up a cupcake.

Nearby, a young, round faced aristocrat had been fortunate enough to find a lady who responded positively to his flirting. He was currently in the middle of telling a story about a time he had escaped some quicksand when a cupcake suddenly hit the lady in the face. The round faced aristocrat frowned and looked towards the source, only to be met with a slice of pie hitting his face.

"Ugh! Who did this?" his lady friend cried out, wiping cream off her face.

"I'll find out," he said nobly.

He stomped over to the refreshments table. "What's the idea? Who's interfering with my romance!" he demanded. He spotted Levi and picked up a pie, preparing to throw it.

"Wait a minute, please!" Rapunzel said desperately.

Sir Franklin smashed a pastry into her face. "We aim to please," he said.

Everyone picked up a new dish to throw.

"Stop, stop!" Eugene interrupted, stepping in the middle, "This has gone far enough!"

Everyone around him glanced at each other, nodded, then threw whatever was in their hand at Eugene. Eugene was hit by every single one right in the face. He picked up a slice of pie and held it up to Levi, threateningly.

The _real_ chief advisor of the National Guard had been lucky enough to receive an invitation to the princess's engagement party. Of course, the women always wanted to hear his stories of his time when he was just a lowly soldier. He had so many adventure stories to tell. At the moment, he was telling one of his favorites; when he was alone and surrounded by bandits.

"I raised my crossbow and fired!" he said dramatically. Suddenly a slice of pie hit him in the face. The two women beside him gasped. Not wanting to have to stop telling his story, he ignored the strange event and continued.

"Naturally, the bandits halted, but I was out of arrows," he said, wiping away the pie, "Then I turned to my right and there coming towards me was a-" a cupcake hit his face.

He insisted on continuing. "...another bandit," he said, again wiping the food from his face, "But did he scare me? No, not a bit..." he didn't notice one of the women get pelted with a cupcake and stumble away. He still continued, "Then I turned again and came face to face with-"

A pie hit him in the face. "...another bandit. Then just at that moment I heard another sound to my left. The bandit that I thought I had killed was only wounded!"

The other woman also got hit with a pie and she staggered away. The chief agent of the National Guard was now alone, telling his story, but he didn't know since he had so much cream, frosting, and crumbs in his eyes.

Despite this, he desired to continue. "So there I was. One bandit in front of me, one to my left, and one to my right. Nothing, but my trusty knife and my bare fist, but then I was about-"

A pastry hit him in the face. He wiped it away in exasperation. He gave up and decided to cut his story short. "Oh! Never had I been through such a fight!"

"Somebody get me a pie!" Amelia cried, slipping over some cream on the floor as she rushed towards the table.

She steadied herself, but both Levi and Eugene smashed their pies into her face simultaneously. Amelia squealed.

More attendants of the ball were getting hit. Rapunzel stomped up to Eugene who was picking up a pie. He looked at her, covered in food and laughed. "Funny, is it?" Rapunzel huffed.

"Yeah-" Rapunzel hit his hand and the pie he had been holding flew back into his face.

The food fight continued. All manners of treats and delicacies were flying through the air, always hitting someone. THe ballroom was a mess, but still the food fight went on.

"Who threw that pie!" a man demanded, approaching the table. Everyone turned, ready to throw something, but suddenly froze.

It was the king... with pie sliding down his beard. And he did not look happy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Uh oh! _

_How was that? I had to throw in a little classic Three Stooges food fight :P _


End file.
